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When Should You Start Shooting Does During Hunting Season?

I get this question often: when should you start shooting does during hunting season?

I try and shoot whitetail does as early as possible while bowhunting - for a couple of reasons. First, this reduces the number of does the whitetail bucks must breed during the rut, which in turn reduces overall stress on the buck herd so they enter the winter in better shape.

Second, this gets you a good jump-start so that if you are below your target number you have all season to catch up.

If you wait until the end, not only are you shooting does that the biggest buck in the area could have bred, but you have no opportunity to catch back up if weather or other factors limit hunting opportunities.